Improvement in feather-renovating machines



V'M.L.PA1'.1AER. FEATHER RENOVATING MACHINE.

`N. PETERS. PMoToMTnoGnAPMER. WASHINGTON. n. c.

` UNITED STATES PATENT oFFroE.

MARTIN L. PALMER, OF TRIVOLI, ILLINOIS.

. IMPRovEMENT IN FEATHER-RENovATlNe MACHINES.Y

V.Spccifcation forming part of Letters Patent No. 190,156dated May 1,1871; application filed L l March 23,1877. y

To all whom it may concern.-

reference refer to like parts, and in which- Figure l represents avertical longitudinal section on linerb b, Fig. 2; Fig. 2,vertical cross-section on dotted line a, a, Fig. 1, (the stir. l rer F G omitted 5,) Fig. .3, a plan of one-half of t machine, with one-halt` of'thevupper shells D removed to show the stirrer E` F Gr and the surfaces of thelower shells 5 Fig.v 4, elevation of the renovator complete.

- This is an improvement in that class of feather-renovating machines which are con.

lstrncted in several complete pieces ior parts' with a view to packing and transportation of the same; and it consists of a verticallyj revolving stirrer within a circular verticalre.

ceiver, the latter separable intotwo equal` i l halves, horizontally, at the middle, and these again are each separable into three pieces,

each containing a separate chamber for dryf` ing purposes in heatingthe feather-chamber,

the central ,piece being a hemi-cylinder, and

inclosed between the edges of, the others, to

form the top or bottom of the renovator andl inclosethe feather-chamber, and so held there between the` peripheral `edgesl of, said side pieces by clamps or other fasten'in gs embracing all `three otfsaid parts. The semicircnlar sides are each hollow, and provided withlsteam entrances and exi-ts; so are the haltcylinders, in addition to` which fall the openings into the feather-chamber are through the latter. In

short, the central feather-chamber is almost or completely surrounded by heating-.charn-` bers, `for purpose of drying the feathers rap! idly after steaming,l assisted by a suction-pipe.

above, to draw off. moisture. The semicircul'ar sides, when erected one upon lthe other, have intercommunicating` pipes,` which also serve as pins, or` means of preventing the shiftinglof the sides, and the latter are also fastened to-` gether at the edges by means of hooks or sim- `ilar devices, the whole `being supported-` on any convenient stand. The upper half-cylinder has an openingthrough it for feathers,

with screen and sliding door, and also a passage outward for steam-eduction into a chimney, chimney-pipe, or' openair. The lower hemi-cylinder, has an'vopening `for the admission'- and exit of steam, as it `serves asa drying-surface for theA .feather-chamber labove.

4The stirrer has fonrequal arms, formed of two pieces of wood or other light materiahone piece passing at once through the axle and its fellow arm. Two of the` latter are broader than the others, and slottedY in the middle with awide opening, for the passage of feathers andthe more effective stirring of them,

which slot or opening is followed by each of the narrower arms, just covering the width ot' said opening. The latter is filled orstopped by a slid'ingslat when the stirrer is .used to blow out the feathers... The general construction is designed to facilitate packing and transporting the saines i t 11' AOne of thelforms in which I make my renovvator is as follows: `The-complete receiver separates along the horizontal -line through its center, at the spindle. The lateral shells A B make a complete circle,`separable,as said, in the center, where theyare hookedtogether by thc hooksx and heads 5. Between these are held thehalf-cylinders l D,`the joint being coveredby the short flange S, thus completing and covering a circular central feather-chamber, excepting necessary openings left for access to latter. Rubber or other packing may be used at the joints, and the whole is heldtogetherby clamps 2 at necessary points, embracingthe edges of thereceiver,`and it is held in a verticallposition by any effectivesupport orbase, as in Fig. 4."

i .Having given a general description of the` m shells or Amain parts, I will describe them in detail.

`The twocorresponding lowerparts of each' shell are metallic, or made ofA woodand metal, i

eachresembling inform half of a saucer,`con

veX sidesoutward, havingxachamber within of equal width laterally, and with its periphery within the chamber lilled with a wooden segment, V, or stiffe'ner. The inside surface next to the peripheryis in oneplane, and abuts against one of the 'semi-cylinders C when clampedtogether. They haveveachfin@ let*-steam-pipesy w w into :their respective interiors, and, short pipes l1, h open from their upper horizontal surfaces into corresponding openin gs 11 t' in the respective upper halfshells B B, for steam, and to return condensed steam, besides serving as nipples-:or fastening-pins: B B are the corresponding upper half-shells, resembling the lower ones, each complete shell A B A B forming a tight'steam-charnber, covering the central feather-chamber. C is the lower half-cylinder, forming the bottom ofthe feathericha'mber, being continuous lwith fthe periphery of the lower shells A A, between* which are clasped the flanges 8 8, inclosing its edges. Like the other part of the shelhit is ofimetalpand hollow?, and dividedat "its lower partby. a passage',1for.theescape of dirt and the admission `ofsteam to the featherLch'amber or-'stirrerL This passageis crossed by a steamfea-therispout J, having.A `anadjustable' "flap wit-hin, tofadjustthe opening to the receiving tickv or bag. D,.the upper semi-cylinder,A4 similar'inform to the other,` butherelmadefsoli'd, and of. anylflt material, but hollow,1 if 'more drying-space's wanted. It forms the upperin-A closure ofthe stirrin'gchamber, is held inplace like its fellow below, leavingl anair-opening opposite the opening'k, described before,which is coveredby a sliding screen, 10, and. sliding door KJ E,-=the stirrer-spindle-a block end-` ing. in iron'axlesy, held in bearings-betweenI the shells-,landfreceiving through "itscenter the .twopieceswwhichvfbrm the four arms 'of Vas connectin'g-pinsror nipples, to u'nitethe adL joining half-sided): arranged with i segmental the stirrer.: Of these, F isa plain-arm,with parallelfsurfaces, double asJwide asi-thick, the endsslightly curved-in opposite' directions.y This lpasses:through. ythe mortise in the axle E,=andf through. a :corresponding mortisein the middle pf the piece G, which forms the other-armsof the stirrer, where it is secured by'avkeyiorwedge vGr isthe therarm,=vseV y cured,1as described, in the spindle. It is three:

or.: more times the width: of the arm F, but ta-` pers toward each end to the widthpoi` F,`= having corresponding bends at its ends, ande'ach end isfprovided with a slot extending nearly I p for: feathers, andfeductionf'z t t Aforfsteam; f extending'entirelyl through-it 'intothe'featherl chamber,1=in vcombination -withl#lateralifhalfsides1B B andlclampsZ.

the length of each, which are, when the stiror-gguides,'aud kept'. from being whirled out bya spring-catch, o. v p

Theoperation ofthis renovator is as follows: The feathers are introduced above at sp, and the door closed. The pipe't'is placed over the vent iz, all otherf` openiugsware closed,- and steam v'is .admitted bypipe j below, 'the stirrer f E .Gr being lput...in"v 'urnotionI by al crank. The slatsf'n are firstlallremoved ifrom the openings m in two of the stirrer-arms F Gr. Steam passes away with decayed matter through 'pipe t, facilitated by introducing the end of the latter into achimney.v When the feathers are:properly-steamem'the steam is shut 0E from f and introduced into pipes g and w w, (g leading into the lower half-cylinder, and w w in to the lower lateralishellsA A, and thence,

by pipes h h, into the upper shells B B,) thus converting the inclosinglshell AB C into a heater, inclosingJ the.- featherchamberr" The feathers are now rapidly dried, dirt fallin g out with condensed steam through screen d at the botto m ofth e feather-ch amber,while condensed through'the openings Tat the'boltt'omE offfthelatter.' The feathers are'blownfoutfinto ai-baig'dr tick; attach-ed 'to the hooksI on" the spout lJ,after removing the x screenfandl the door: therefrom', andi-from the opposite l openimgy the door and f screen- 10,1 'thel s tirren meantimel Vb'eing ``rol .tated-vto act-as a fan;-` atrwhich. time# theslatsn n-areslipped intoth'eir plaee'sgfand' held byV means of theirrespectivefspringmatchesof oafwith pipes w It, separable' in themiddlehoriz'ontally, andr'espectivelyclampedfagaiiistan j p intermediate ring composed *of-ftwo 'hailfcylinL v posesl described. v

1 2. The four hollow1'half-sideswAfBAB,-or i heaters;"inclosing a fcentral{feather-steaming I chainber-'andstirrer;withstearn-ductsrw h'yin combina-tion witlr the seg-mental: or4 'sernicy-lr gindersfC l), th'ef'lower one made hollow 't'orel cei'vefsteam Eas: a heater,v substantially asf' and 3. The-:hollow halfside-s--A Bfwiuhseam:

pipes w' andl connecting-pipe's:'=h,1(acting also half-cylinders G -D and-their fourfopenings-K 1o k d intothe featherchamber,and induction: pipe' j" and ed'uctionpipe t into and'from'fsaid chamber, substantiallyas and for purposes described-- y y 4.The"hollow segmental 4or semi 'cylinder- C, withsteaimpipesy e, screen-d, in combinar; .tionwithandclamped between the lateral chambers A A, provided -with flange I 8,:sub-`` stautiallylas andfor'the purposes described'.wry

v6. The -combination,'with= the `shell-A l-13 jC D,'the-sliding spouttJ and itsvsereerrl and door l2, andthe slidin'ghoppers', its screen-*q an'ddoor mand the' door- Kandscreenl 10; substantially as describedn y 7 .i The combination, with the@ lhollow cham# F, all the arms being curved in the direction of rotation when used as a stirrer, substantially as and for the purposes described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing feather-renovator I have hereunto set my4 hand. V

MARTIN L. PALMER.

Witnesses: HENRY W. WELLS, JAMES M. MORSE. 

